New Year Traditions from Around the World

How do you celebrate New Year's? Most of the people I know go to a party or celebrate with their family at home, but have you ever looked at what some of the traditions are from around the world? There are some interesting ones.

Fun Facts about Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop

How was your Christmas? Ours was good, but it included 12 hours without power besides a generator. Thank God for the generator which gave us heat and a microwave. Our Christmas dinner which really wasn't included microwaved lasagna with my father's birthday cake for dessert that had hand whipped frosting. Luckily Hazel thought it was fun to hand whip the frosting. But as always it is so great to be with family. 

Sharing Saturday 17-50

It is time again for Sharing Saturday! This is a link party to share all of your child-oriented crafts, crafts made for kids, activities and lessons as well as your parenting and/or teaching posts. So glad you joined us!!

On Sunday night we also host Crafty Weekends for all your crafts (done by any age), patterns, and craft product reviews! It is the perfect place to share your creative side!! 

Books for Harry Potter Lovers!

Disclosure: Candlewick Press sent me these books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Recently Hazel and I began reading Harry Potter. We are about three quarters of the way through the second book and Hazel loves them!! We have not watched the movies yet and I will not let her read the entire series yet. I actually have insisted on reading them with her to be sure she doesn't get too frightened by them since she is so sensitive and easily scared. But for now they are her new love. She was very excited when I pulled out these two books from Candlewick. Their Harry Potter books seem to be in two collections. The Harry Potter collection includes our first book, Harry Potter: Magical Film Projections: Patronus Charm by Insight Editions. 

New Year's Eve Birthday Bash Ideas

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Hazel and I are always talking about ideas for birthday parties. Our big plans for this year's party was to do an American Girl Beforever Party. However with her new school she wants to invite the boys so we needed to change the theme. We came up with a New Year's Eve Birthday Bash. All of our planning was basically thrown away and we started fresh. We went to check things out over at Oriental Trading in their birthday section. We had fallen in love with these Pink and Gold Birthday Party Dinner Plates and planned the party around them. (We had chosen them for the American Girl party as well.)